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Prototype (video game)

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Prototype
File:PROTOTYPE.jpg
Developer(s)Radical Entertainment
Publisher(s)Activision[4]
EngineTitanium[5]
Platform(s)PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows
Genre(s)Action (Sandbox)
Mode(s)Single-player

Prototype (stylized as "[PROTOTYPE]") is an action game developed by Radical Entertainment. The game was released in North America on June 9, 2009 and in southwestern parts of North America and Oceania on June 10. The game was released in Europe on June 12. The game is available on Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 platforms. Prototype was released a day early in Australia.

The game is set in New York City as a virus infects people and the military attempts to put an end to it. The protagonist of the story is named Alex Mercer, who has enemy-absorbing and shapeshifting powers. He can take memories, experiences, biomass and physical forms of the enemies through absorption. Alex can also shapeshift into more specialized forms for attack, defense or sensory enhancement. All of these together are intended to give players multiple ways to complete their objectives. Parallel to the game's storyline is the ability to play the game as a sandbox-style video game giving the player free roam of Manhattan.

Gameplay

The game offers the player a large variety of virus based abilities.

Among the agile feats Alex can perform are running up the sides of buildings, jumping hundreds of meters at a time and gliding through the air using adaptive parkour. The game does not utilize falling damage and the ground is seen to deform upon falling from great heights. The player can use firearms in combat and can perform a variety of melee attacks without having to shapeshift, as well as more gymnastic moves such as multiple "bouncing" tombstone drops, air combos, or sliding along the ground using an enemy's body as a surfboard.

Alex's primary power is his ability to shapeshift, transforming himself into an arsenal of deadly weapons, such as a six foot long blade-arm which releases a flurry of swift attacks, being able to cut through steel; a pair of razor sharp claws, which can be charged up for a "ground spike" attack, in which Alex can send his claws tunneling underground and spray out into deadly spikes; and a sharp bio-whip that can stretch up to 50 feet and defeat enemies from afar. He can also concentrate his bio-mass into his arms which increases his strength and increases damage from thrown objects such as a car, and can concentrate bio-mass into his arms and hands, transforming them into huge rock-hard clubs to increase melee damage to armored opponents.

Alex's most powerful moves are "Devastator" attacks: attacks that use large amounts of biomass and can destroy large amounts of enemies.

Plot

Prototype follows the story of Alex Mercer, an amnesia-stricken experiment. As the game begins, Alex wakes up in a mortuary with absolutely no memory of his past. The bewildered man emerges from an underground lab far below the heart of New York City, only to realize that there is a lot more going on in the outside world.

With no familiarity of where he came from or if he is even human, Alex is forced to track down those responsible for his situation and absorb them in order to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy and take vengeance for what has been done to him. He soon discovers that he has the capability to devour the power of those whom he kills, taking their memories, skills, and even their appearance. Above these newfound talents Alex is suddenly thrown into a war involving himself and two different powers. The Blackwatch Special Forces, an unbearably mutated virus-infected population, and the prototype himself all wage war in the streets of New York City. In the midst of this, a mysterious woman named Elizabeth Greene and a group of "Hunters" are accidentally released into the streets.

Mercer makes contact with his sister Dana, and former lover, Karen. While Dana assists Mercer in locating his targets, Karen had promised him a cure for his disease. In reality, Karen was working for Blackwatch, and manipulated Mercer into creating a strain of virus which can suppress his powers. Blackwatch specialist Cross injects the strain into Mercer, rendering his powers useless. With the help of Dr. Ragland, Mercer gains his powers back, rescuing Dana from a Leader Hunter.

As the conspiracy unfolds, with the assistance of an unidentified contact, the origins of Mercer, the Virus, and Elizabeth Greene are uncovered: in 1969, the government had tested a virus codenamed "Blacklight" in Hope, Idaho. This virus was designed as a biological warfare agent, targeting those of a predetermined race. Elizabeth Greene was the sole survivor of the incident; her body welcomed the virus rather than die from it, and it had rewritten her genetic code. This inspired the government to continue research into the virus, cooperating with Gentek corporation. Alex Mercer, who worked for Gentek, attempted to steal a vial of the virus, but was pinned down by Blackwatch in Penn Station and was killed on site, not before he smashed the tube containing virus, therefore, releasing the virus. By the time his body was brought to the morgue, the virus had completely taken over his body and placing its genetic structure into himself, literally copy him cell by cell, into the virus.

The contact and Mercer assist the military in releasing a new biological agent "blood tox" underground, in hopes of driving the virus to the surface, allowing Blackwatch to fight it directly. Elizabeth Greene, now a giant Hydra monster, comes to the surface, and is consumed by Mercer. He then attempts to absorb McMullen, but McMullen commits suicide before Mercer has the chance. It becomes apparent that the government is prepared to nuke Manhattan to destroy the virus. The contact, revealed to be the specialist Cross, then guides Mercer to consume Colonel Taggart, as means of getting onto the USS Ronald Reagan, where the bomb is being held. Cross betrays Mercer once on the ship, and is revealed to be the Supreme Hunter. Cross was consumed by the Hunter and was impersonated, manipulating Mercer into doing its work. It battles Mercer on the deck of the Reagan before getting decapitated. Mercer brings the nuclear bomb miles into the Atlantic Ocean, causing it to detonate underwater. After the credits, Manhattan is seen in a recovering state, the virus almost completely destroyed.

Development

During the development of the game, Radical Entertainment took over 20,000 pictures of New York City to capture the atmosphere of the city. Due to constraints and its complexity, much of this research had to be edited. Radical has stated however that the research they did use was used to major effect, helping create a realistic look and feel of the city.

Reception

Critical reception of Prototype has been mostly positive. The review aggregate website Metacritic currently lists the game as having an overall score of 84 out of 100 on the PlayStation 3,[7] 81 out of 100 on the Xbox 360[11] and 81 out of 100 on the PC[12]. Game Revolution reviewer Jesse Constantino praised the game's action and RPG elements, but wrote that the annoying camera view, unbalanced missions, and awkward storytelling ultimately held back the game, rating it a C+.[8] Constantino also wrote that despite the game's sandbox elements, the linearity of the plot and blending environments make the open world style seem lifeless.[8]

System Requirements

System requirements
Requirements
Minimum Windows XP/Vista Requirements
Operating system Windows XP Service Pack 3 or Windows Vista Service Pack 1
CPU Intel® Core™ 2 Duo 1.86 GHz or AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 4000+ or better
Memory 1 GB (XP)
2GB (Vista)
Free space 8GB of uncompressed hard disk space (Plus 500MB for swap file.)
Graphics hardware DirectX 9.0c compliant card with 256 MB 3D hardware accelerator (NVIDIA 7800GT/ATI® Radeon™ X1800 256 MB or better) and support for Pixel Shader 3.0
Sound hardware 100% DirectX 9.0c compliant card

References

  1. ^ Robinson, Martin (April 8, 2009). "Prototype Dated". IGN. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  2. ^ "Prototype ships June 5, releases a week later". Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  3. ^ "PROTOTYPE release date announced! - Gaming Obsession Australia". gamingobsession. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  4. ^ "Prototype Official Website". Retrieved 2009-01-17.
  5. ^ "Prototype Page". pcgameshardware. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  6. ^ Lee, Garnett (2009-06-10). "Prototype Review". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  7. ^ a b "Prototype PS3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  8. ^ a b c Costantino, Jesse (2009-06-15). "Prototype Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  9. ^ Brudvig, Erik (2009-06-10). "Prototype Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  10. ^ Orry, Tom (2009-06-15). "Prototype Xbox 360 Review". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  11. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/prototype
  12. ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/prototype
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